4.21.2014

Bring to a boil water, butter, sugar and salt, until butter is fully melted. Turn the heat to low. Add in the flour, all at once, and stir vigorously until smooth. Cook stirring for about a minute. Mix in 3 eggs, one at a time. Then stir in the egg whites. For those of you who may think this is too eggy, you know who you are, there is chemistry at work here, trust the proportions!

Pipe 1/2 inch thick, about 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet lined with a silpat or parchment. Bake in a preheated 450 degree oven for 6 minutes, turn the temperatures down to 350 and bake for another 7 minutes. Turn off the oven, leaving the door ajar, and keep the doughnuts in it for another 10-15 minutes.

Glaze: 1 cup confectioner's sugar, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 4 tbsp water, a few drops of orange extract, and a few drops of beet juice for the color.

4.17.2014

It's been a very long winter, and despite the unnaturally cold April day, spring is still here. Ramps were for sale...even though they looked a little sad, I decided if I cooked with them, I am going to will warm weather to get here.

7-10 ramps

1 lb Dover sole filets

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil + 1 tsp

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 c tequila

Salt + pepper

Season sole filets with salt and pepper on one side. Sprinkle with 1 tsp of olive oil and roll them up. Rinse and trim off the leaves off the ramps. Reserve the staulks. Wrap each fish roulette with a leaf, tucking the ends under each other.

Place rolls, seam down, on a preheated pan with olive oil and butter. Turn heat to low and cook the fish about 7 minutes. Adding the tequila and lemon juice after about a minute. Cooking time may vary if your filets are bigger.

I served this with pan roasted radishes, about 5 min on medium- low heat, sprinkled with chopped ramp staulks.

4.03.2014

I made a non traditional bolognese that I thought was worth recording.

1-2 lbs ground turkey meat

2 large parsnips, peeled

1 onion

2 c milk

2 c red wine

2 c water

1 can diced stewed tomatoes

1 tbsp butter

2 tbsp olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Dash of cumin

Melt butter in olive oil on medium heat. Add chopped onions. When onions turn transparent, add grated parsnips. Cook for a couple of minutes. Add turkey meat and mix to break down clumps of meat. When mostly consistent and broken up, season a bit of salt, cumin and pepper. Add milk and cook on low heat until most of it is evaporated. Add the wine and do the same. Now add the diced tomatoes and water and simmer (no bubbles) until it reaches the desired consistency. Check the seasoning.